Iron and steel cementing bath composition



' not able to stand such temperatures. It has also been proposed to increase the ocrs e Patented Oct.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE raoN. AND

STEEL 'OEMENTING mum COMPOSITION Hugo Hanusch, Berlin-Rauchfangswerder, Germany, 'assignor to Deutsche Houghton-Fabrlk G. mil). 1]., Magdcburg, Buckau, Germany No Drawing. Application November 15, 1935, se-; rial No, 50,057. In Germany March 12, 1934 4 Claims. (01. 148- 30) For the cementation of steel and iron fused salt baths have already been usedwhich contain cyanide compounds as cementation and hardening agents, and it has also already been proposed toenrich-known case hardening salt baths containing only a little cyanide or none at, all, with carbon as cementation carrier.. As-suited. for the a purpose stated charcoal, leather charcoal, bonecharcoal, graphite, activated carbon and activated carbon ,of low combustibili'ty have been recommended.

Concerning the addition of graphite to the usual 1 salt baths it must be said that this substance cannot possibly be acknowledged as a cementation agentinasmuch as a transformationand a disa charge of carburizing carbonaceous gases commences only at temperatures of over 1400 C. The

salts and the steels to be cemented are, however,

mentation action of fused salt baths containing carbon by admixing to thema suitable oxygen carrier or suitable oxygen carriers, as, for instance, oxide ofstrontium. 1

The admixture of suitable cementation agents to the salt baths in the form of carbon is, however,

connected with difllculties insofar as the baths a are able to take up only a limited percentage 0 the generally highly voluminous carbon.

v It. has, however, now been discoveredthat a particularly favorable cementation action can be obtained if graphite oxide, for instance graphitic acid (C1104), is used as cementation .agent. Graphite oxide has the property to give off, when being decomposed, not only large amounts of gases havinga greatcementation capacity, but also to increase considerably the stability of the a bath. -When graphitic acid is decomposed, there arises at first: graphite soot which attains about 'the 40-fold volume of theoriginal acid. By a suitable composition'of the salt -bath, especially by using oxygen-discharging agents as components, the'decomposition of the graphite oxide can be regulated in any desired manner.

'Ifhe' necessary regeneration of the carbon re i quired in the fused cementingsalt bath during 7 tbeoperation can according to my invention be carried out without any trouble, by a very small addition of graphitic acid a large enrichment with carbon and an intimate intermixing with the saltbath components is obtained. 1 Example A salt-bath prepared according to this invention may have, for instance, the following composition:

g I Percent Barium chloride 68 Sodium cyanide 8 Sodium chloride 1'7 Graphitic acid (C1104) 2 ,Barium carbonate 5" In order to regenerate the bath the following additions, preferably in the form of pressed blocks,

are made from time to time:

' a Percent Barium chloride 65 Sodium chloride 12 Graphitic acid (C1104) 15, Barium carbonate 8 Sodium cyanide is separately added if re-.

quired, to the regenerating-bath.

I claim:

- 1. A fused salt bath for the cementation of iron and steel, containing cyanide, and containing graphitic oxide as an agent for increasing the ocmentation effect. a i

2. A fused salt bath for the cementation of iron and steel, containing cyanide, and containing grapnitic acid as an agent forin'creasing the cementation eflect.

3. A fused salt bath for the cementation of iron and steel, containing cyanide, and containing graphitic oxide, together with agents capable of accelerating the decomposition of the 'graphiti oxide to increase the cementation effect.

4. A fused salt bath forthe cementation of iron and steel, containing cyanide, and containing graphitic oxide, together witha substance capable of releasing tion effect.

oxygen to increase the cementanuao mason. 

